Filia di Virtus
by A.K Rose
Summary: There is a sinister evil that haunts this Earth. Only five women with the gift of the Goddess can defeat this.  These five women are known as Filia di Virtus: Daughters of Power. And Mia Koji is one of them.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing having to do with the Ronin Warriors. All rights to them and anything related from the manga or show are property of the writers. I do, however, own this storyline and any made up characters, powers, ect… **

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**Filia di Virtus**

It was a beautiful day. The late spring breeze blew in the scent of flowers and rustled the leafy trees softly. The sunshine was warm, but not overly and it was perfect for sunbathing. Which was exactly what Mia Koji was doing. She spread her body, clad in a pink string bikini, out on the towel-covered Adirondack chair. Sighing happily, she pulled her long auburn hair into a bun atop her head and covered her turquoise eyes with a pair of sunglasses.

"Ha! Is that all you got? You're getting old and slow, man!" Kento of Hardrock jeered.

"I'll give you slow, rock head!" Cye of Torrent laughed sportingly. There were cheers and jeers from the three young men on the side too. Mia's mouth turned up at the corners and she relaxed to the sound of her friends training, eyes drifting shut. Soon, all sound faded.

_Mia shivered. When had it gotten cold? The wind was no longer gentle or soothing. It howled furiously around her, whipping her hair into her face. But hadn't she put her hair up? She shivered again, violently. Glancing down at herself, she was startled to see she had no bikini on. In fact, she had nothing on; she was completely naked. Hugging herself against the biting cold, she looked around. Trees were bare and claw-like. It was night, but there were no stars. Only a full moon hung ominously in the sky. She felt the intensity of a phantom stare._

_"I've been searching for you for a long time, pretty Mia." The voice was as cold as the wind and frightened Mia far more than the surrounding darkness._

_"Who are you?" Mia grimaced at the shaking of her voice. She cleared her throat to steady it. "Show yourself!" A Little stronger. There was laughter, maniacal and cold._

_"You were such a pretty child. You are even lovelier grown. Such perfection, all of you." The voice was oily now and there was a creepy phantom caress down her back. Mia felt her skin crawl. She glanced around her again and was suddenly accompanied by four young women, similarly naked. They were shivering and staring at one another. The evil presence faded suddenly; not gone completely, but faded. Mia heard a faint but furious howl._

_"Mia, we're coming to you. Be strong. This won't be the last time he takes you under. He can only manage it when you let your guard down. Sleep with someone; you'll be protected that way." The speaker was a tall young woman with dark sable brown hair that hung to her lower back. She was lovely and pale with dark midnight blue eyes. Her arm was around a smaller woman who looked a little younger than Mia. She too was pale and beautiful with light brown hair streaked with red-gold that framed her pixie face. She looked terrified, her forest green eyes wide. There were two more women to Mia's left. One was medium height with pitch black hair that fell in a riot of curls to her middle back and coffee brown eyes, exotic looking and beautiful. The other was Mia's height with angel blonde hair to her shoulders and stormy gray eyes._

_"I don't understand. Who are you? What's going on?" Mia demanded. _

_"I'm Korrin, this is my younger sister, Trisara." The woman who'd spoken to Mia said, then gestured to the black haired girl. "That is Leila and the woman next to her is Ayanna. We are your Demi sisters. We are close. Another day and we will be with you. I will explain everything then. Until then, you must keep your spirit safe while you sleep. The only way to do so is to have someone sleep with you, to watch over you. Until we arrive, you are not safe from him. Together we are stronger. Mia, remember what I've said. We can't stay any longer." Korrin was fading with the others. Mia could feel herself being pulled by an invisible force. _

_"Wait! Wait!" Mia cried. But they were gone and she fell into blackness, the maniacal laughter echoing again._

Someone was shaking her. Rather violently, in fact. And there was noise. Someone was yelling at her. Mia came to slowly, her eyes focusing on five faces staring at her in fear.

"Mia! Mia, come on! Answer me, damn you!" Ryo's face was very close to hers. He had a very handsome face with very bright, blue eyes. Not thinking, Mia brought up a hand and traced his jaw lightly with her finger tips. Then she jerked her hand away as the force of her dream came flooding back. Her eyes snapped open and she screamed. The five young men jerked, simultaneously startled. Mia began to shake.

"Mia, what happened? What' wrong?" Cye's voice was troubled. They were all looking at her so concerned. She couldn't take it and the memory of the voice speaking as if he would cress her body. She began to cry.

"Oh baby, shh. It's ok. You're safe, we're here and nothing's gonna hurt you." Suddenly Ryo's arms were around her, rocking her and stroking her hair. His voice was low and soothing. It took her a minute, but she finally relaxed enough to pull away. She smiled gratefully at Ryo and then took a breath.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We were sparring and then there was a cold breeze and the sky darkened for a minute. Then it was gone and the day was normal. Kento came to make sure you were ok and then he was yelling." Sage explained.

"I thought you were just sleeping and hadn't noticed. But when I shook you, you didn't respond. I shook you harder and you didn't even twitch. I couldn't see you breathe." Kento said shakily.

"Mia." Ryo's voice was low and gentle; his eyes held hers. "What happened?" Oh how he'd matured since their ordeal with Tulpa. They all had. Men now, not boys.

"Was it the Dynasty?" Rowen asked. Mia shook her head.

"Let's go inside and let Mia change and I'll get us something to eat. Then Mia can tell us what happened." Cye said kindly. Mia smiled gratefully at him.

"Can you walk?" Ryo asked hesitantly. Mia was still a little shaky.

"Yes, but…walk me to my room?" She whispered. He nodded and they all made their way into the house.

Upstairs Ryo stopped at Mia's door. "You sure you're alright?"

Mia looked at him a moment. How could she explain that she felt like she'd just barely escaped being raped, both spiritually and physically? It was humiliating in a way that all those other times she'd been used for bait by the Dynasty couldn't even touch. His eyes were so deep and kind. He, more than anyone, would understand. But she shook her head. If there was serious trouble coming, they all deserved to know about it.

"I don't know. But I think I will be. Thank you, Ryo."

He reached up to push back a stray hair out of her eyes, but he couldn't stop himself and his fingers brushed down her cheek and neck. He wanted so badly to press his lips against hers. But he pulled away. Something had frightened her badly and he wouldn't add to her panic by making moves on her. At least, not until the time was right. He was tired of waiting to reveal his feeling for her. So, smiling, he turned and went down stairs.

Mia rushed into her bathroom and stripped off her bathing suit. Her bun was hanging so she let it down and stepped under the hot spray of her shower. She didn't have time to linger so she scrubbed every inch of her body and hair hard to get the slimy feel off of her. After drying she slipped into her favorite turquoise veloram sweat suit and headed back downstairs.

The guys were sitting in the living room patiently sipping tea or water and munching on sandwiches Cye had made. They looked up at her as she entered and sat between Ryo and Cye on the couch. Cye handed her a steaming cup of tea and a turkey sandwich. She thanked him and they all ate in silence. When they were all finished, Mia sighed, feeling slightly better. Opening her eyes, she met five concerned pairs. Taking a very deep, calming breath, Mia began to tell her nightmare. When she finished, an angry silence filled the room. Finally, Kento cracked his knuckles loudly.

"If who ever it is thinks he's gonna touch a hair on your head, he's got some serious wounds coming his way." Kento growled. There were nods of agreement from even generally docile Cye and Sage. Ryo rested his hand on Mia's.

"What do you think it all means?" he asked.

"I'm not sure." Now that the dream was in the open, Mia felt much better and began to think clearly. "I felt safer when the four women showed up. I sensed they meant to try and protect me by warning me about whatever the evil was. And I don't think it was a dream. The one woman who spoke to me said it wouldn't be the last time _he'd_ take me under. And I believe they really are coming here to be with me."

"Then it sounds like we'll get far more answers once they're here." Rowen commented thoughtfully.

Mia nodded. "They said they were my Demi sisters."

"What does that mean? Do you have any siblings you might not know about?" Ryo asked.

"No. My parents were young when they married and had me. And I was only eight when they died in the car accident. My mother was never able to have other children after me and my father was devoted to her. I don't believe there were and illegitimate children. No, I think a Demi sister is something different. In Greek mythology, a Demi was a half god or goddess. The gods would mate with mortal men or women and Demi-gods were often born of those unions. Hercules was a Demi-god, born of Zeus and a mortal woman. But it makes no sense. Those are just myths. And my parents were mortals. I look very much like both of them. My mother had red hair and my father had blue-green eyes." Mia shook her head in confusion.

"Maybe you have inner powers similar to those of the mythological gods? You're a hereditary witch and never knew it? I mean, lets face it. We've all seen unbelievable things happen." Cye suggested. They nodded.

"It's safe to say we can't close the door on any possibilities." Sage commented.

"I think we may be close, but the reality of it will have to wait until those other women get here. For now, it would really help take my mind off things if we all cleaned the house and got the spare bedrooms ready for our guests." Mia smiled hesitantly at them.

"Why don't I take the shopping list into the city and get groceries?" Kento said quickly, jumping from his seat and taking off into the kitchen. Mia laughed for the first time today.

"Figures! He always takes the easy chores!" Rowen complained.

"Yeah, and it's not even a chore for him! I bet he eats three candy bars in line for the cashier!" Sage added. Mia smiled as they divvied up chores and got to work. For a few hours, at least, she could feel a little normal. Something nagging at the back of her mind told her it wouldn't be for long.

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Well, there's the first chapter. This story feels pretty good as I write, but it's not gonna be worth writing it if I don't know whether or not anyone's reading. So if you liked it, loved it, hated it or despised it, please let me know by reviewing. Constructive criticism is always welcome and I care what you have to say. Thanks sincerely A.K. Rose 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing having to do with the Ronin Warriors. All rights to them and anything related from the manga or show are property of the writers. I do, however, own this storyline and any made up characters, powers, ECT… **

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**Filia di Virtus**

It took four and a half hours of bickering, chasing, nagging and hysterical laughter, but the house was sparkling from top to bottom and the two large guest suites were supplied with fresh linens, towels and other female necessities Mia had thought to provide the four strange women. Though she assumed one would feel disturbed by an impending visit from four strange women that had announced their coming by way of dream, Mia was comforted at the thought of gaining answers to disturbing questions.

She was still a little shaken about where her part played in all this. She didn't really believe that she had any undiscovered powers. That she held some vital information or a source of information she didn't remember or know about seemed closer to the truth.

"Hey, you still with us?" Sage asked. He said it jokingly, but Mia detected a hint of worry in his voice. In fact, she'd also notice that no matter what chore she was doing, she always had a helper. They guys never left her on her own. She smiled inwardly at the incident where she'd needed to use the bathroom and Rowen had actually followed her in. She'd raised her eyebrow and asked him to leave so he could pee and Rowen's face had gone scarlet in less than a second. He'd run out muttering apologies. But he'd waited a respectful distance from the door for her.

"Yes, sorry. Just thinking." She smiled at the Ronin in re-assurance. "Besides, I think when it happens, I go unconscious." Sage nodded in agreement.

As Mia and Sage came downstairs, there was a frantic ringing of Mia's doorbell. Sharing a startled look with Sage, she rushed to the door. That woman had said they were a day away still. The other Ronin's got to the door before her and formed a wall to protect Mia, just in case. Kento opened the door.

"Please, let us in. She's sick." It was the voiced of the woman who'd spoken to Mia in her dream.

Mia pushed her way through to see. They were all clothed now and the speaker, Korrin, and the woman she'd identified as Leila were holding up Korrin's sister, Trisara, who was unconscious. The other woman, Ayanna, stood just behind, looking frantic.

"Let them through. They're the women from my dream. They mean us no harm; move!" Mia commanded and ushered the women into the living room where they lay Trisara out on the couch.

"I'm sorry. We wanted to come as fast as possible, so Trisara used her magic to get us here faster. I think she might have almost drained herself; four people are too many for her when she hasn't had enough rest." Korrin explained.

"Will she be alright?" Mia asked.

"I hope so." Korrin replied. Sage pushed through the onlookers and knelt beside Trisara. She was a slight woman, slender and only 5'4", Sage judged. But oh how lovely she was. Even ashen and sleeping, her skin was milky and smooth. Her nose was dainty and her lips were cupids bow shaped and the short brown and copper hair framed her face, making it pixie-like.

"What are you doing?" Leila demanded, stepping forward. Korrin stopped her.

"Sage is the Ronin Warrior of Wisdom. He has some healing abilities." Mia explained.

Sage had gone into a meditative state, blocking out all of the others. He centered his thoughts and found the bright, soothing light that was his power. Pulling from that light within, he touched Trisara's face. He stayed like that, allowing the cool light to wrap itself around her exhausted aura and feed energy slowly to it.

Trisara's wide green eyes fluttered open slowly. They focused on the face of the man whose light she'd followed out of the darkness. His hair was gold and his eyes were amethysts. His face was sharp and defined; beautiful. He was looking at her as if she was the only woman in the entire universe. Trisara sincerely hoped he was on their side, because she would hate herself for being uncontrollably attracted to this man. Going with her gut, she smiled up at him, cupped his face in her hands and brought his lips down to hers. Her lips barely brushed the corner of his mouth in thanks, but her body responded as if he'd struck her with lightening. "Blessed be." She whispered. Then she became aware of her sister and others watching.

"Tris, are you feeling better?" Korrin's voice was amused. Tris blushed and looked to her sister.

"Now that she's feeling better, I think introductions are in order. And I believe there are some questions we would like answered." Rowen gestured for everyone to sit. Tris sat up slowly to make room for her sister, Leila and Ayanna on the couch. Mia sat in the overstuffed armchair with Ryo standing behind her. The other guys scattered themselves comfortably.

"I'm sorry if we alarmed you. My name is Korrin and this is my sister, Trisara. My two other companions are Leila and Ayanna. Mia, I have known who and what you are for some time now. We gathered and waited for you to contact one of us, but you never did. That was four months ago. Then I began to realize you did not know what you were or the gifts you possessed. We traveled here from Brittan."

"We were here for two days, trying to figure out how to reach you when I felt you go under," Ayanna took over, "We tried a group spiritual transport, but to enter _his_ domain is to loose some power over one's self. As you know, _he _can strip our celestial bodies of material protection, in essence, leaving us and our souls bare to _him_." Her voice was soft with a faint Irish lilt.

"I don't understand. You're saying that I have some kind of…magic? And who is _he_? I felt the evil of _him_; it was like he wanted to…" Mia couldn't say it, not in front of the guys. It was embarrassing. Leila nodded in sympathy.

"Like he wanted to caress your body. It's disgusting, but that's exactly what _he_ wants. _He_ is known to mortals by so many names. We call _him_ Pavrus. Pavrus is the essence of evil. There will always be evil in the world; without it, good would mean nothing. But _he_ is the embodiment of evil and because of his lust to control the desires and lusts of mortals, he is confined to his domain by the Great Gods." Leila said, eyes focused on Mia.

"What does any of this have to do with Mia?" Ryo asked, his hand on Mia's tense shoulder.

"Mia, when you were a child, did your looks get more attention than the average child?" Tris asked.

"I don't really know. I was always told how lovely I was when I was little. But I was awkward and homely as a teenager." She replied. Ayanna smiled fondly and nodded.

"Yes, we all were. Apart from our gifts, the awkwardness of that transition from girl to woman is usually not pretty. But you are a very beautiful woman now. And if I'm not mistaken, you are stronger than the average damsel in distress." Ayanna said. Mia shook her head.

"If you mean my companionship with the Ronin's during the fight against Tulpa; well, who else had as much knowledge as me about the legend? I was just a source of information and every once in a while I got in the way." The guys protested loudly that she was as much a part of the team as any. Mia smiled lovingly at them. Korrin smiled inwardly; they were Mia's family. That was very obvious now.

"On the contrary; Mia, you were there for nearly all their battles as a constant support. You protected a young boy while the Warriors did battle. You were taken several time by the enemy and tortured and used as bait to lure your friends into fights and traps. And you survived it all while keeping the love and kindness of your soul intact. You didn't let your experiences change what was dominant in your heart. That is a gift." Tris said and smiled warmly at Mia.

"I'm sorry. I just don't understand. What are Demis? You said you were my…sisters? And my powers; I've never been aware of any before." Mia looked skeptical.

"I'm sorry. Mia, we aren't your sisters by blood. We are your sisters by power. You see, every once in a very great while, Pavrus gains enough power through the misdeeds of humankind to break out of his domain. This hasn't happened in 2,000 years. But the Goddess Moraine could foresee Parvus's possible break out and so came to Earth and chose four pregnant mortal women and bestowed the gift of Immortal Power on their unborn daughters. She returned once more, a year after our births, and bestowed the Power on my unborn sister. I suppose she thought we would need all the help we could get, and Tris has a talent for magic. She instructed our mothers on what to teach and tell their daughters as we grew. The five of us share a very strong magical bond, Mia. It is as thick and important as a blood bond and it makes us sisters. We are Demi-goddesses." Korrin explained. The room lapsed into a shocked silence. _Mia_ was a Demi-goddess? That made no sense! Why hadn't she been able to defend herself against those attacks during the war then?

"You have the wrong woman. I can't have any power. My mother never said anything like that to me." Mia shook her head fervently.

"It's true, Mia. You are our sister. Your mother died when you were young; she didn't have time to tell you." Ayanna said gently.

"Then why wasn't I able to help them in the war against Tulpa? What good was my power when my friends were fighting evil?" Mia was shaking her head in denial.

"It wasn't you fight, Mia. The Ronin Warriors always had the power to defeat Tulpa. They only needed to find it within themselves." Leila said.

"I assure you, you can do magic, Mia. We will teach you. There is time still. Pavrus hasn't got the power to come against us yet. I know this is a lot to hurl at you, but it really is life or death. I know you don't know us and you have no reason to trust us. But look into your heart. You know, in the deepest part of your soul, that we're telling you the truth." Tris knelt in front of Mia and took Mia's hand in hers. Mia stared at the younger woman, and then looked to her friends fro guidance.

"Mia, this is a real shock to us too. But…I think you're just as capable of wielding power as we are. You're one of the strongest people I know. You took us in, cared for us, and helped us fight Tulpa in your own way. If that doesn't make you a Demi-goddess, then I don't know what does." Kento said heatedly.

"Yeah, Mia. You put up with a lot of stuff and you never complained." Rowen added.

"You followed me to find Kento, even though I treated you like a child and told you to stay put. You were willing to risk yourself to help us." Sage agreed.

"You've always been there. All we had to do was fight. And when the day was done, you healed us and fed us and listened to us when we needed to talk." Cye said. Mia was stunned. They had never told her this before. Oh, she'd known they cared about her in their own ways and they were grateful for all the help she'd provided. But she hadn't ever realized how much they loved her. She opened her mouth, but sound wouldn't come out. She swallowed the lump in her throat. And then Ryo was eye level with her.

"You are the bravest, strongest, most loving and giving person I know. We were blessed the day you come into our lives. I was blessed." His eyes swirled with deep emotion. It was all Mia could do not to kiss him. She tore her eyes away from his and glanced at the women who had stood and melted to the back of the room. There was a glow about them. They looked impressed by what the Ronins had said and they all wore proud smiles. Something about them pulled at Mia. She could feel the bond Korrin had spoken of. Her heart told her they were real. This was real. It would be hard, but she accepted it. And she wanted to accept them. She smiled radiantly at Kento, Rowen, Sage, Cye and Ryo and whispered "Thank you all." Then she turned to the women.

"I want to learn; teach me. And I've always wanted sisters. It looks like I have brothers." She smiled hesitantly. Then Ayanna squealed in delight and threw her arms around Mia.

"I knew you would say yes!" She whispered. Mia hugged the woman back hesitantly and then was surrounded by the other three. When they stepped back, all five women were glowing silver. These were the Filia di Virtus. The Daughters of Power.

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Well, here is the second chapter then! Thank you to my reviewers! I'm flattered by your compliments and I hope I've delivered another chapter to your satisfaction. It really does inspire me to write when I know people are reading and especially when I know people love it. I know it takes me a few days to get chapters out and sometimes it may take longer. Partly it's because I go to college full time and work, but it's also because I like to take my time and not rush the story plot. Often I'll write a chapter then go back and read it and re-write it. When it feels right, I'll post. However, I promise to try not to let you hang for months at a time! Thank you again ad keep giving me feed back!

Sincerely A.K. Rose


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